Chapter 123: Pig Blood Will Do

’An army...’

Wen Qian thought it was unlikely.

Blue Star had always advocated for peace. Her own country was a peaceful nation that hadn’t experienced the turmoil of war for hundreds of years. Besides, her country’s own military was already formidable. Why would they need to rely on Beastmen?

No matter how much trust existed between the two species, it would be difficult to eliminate all reservations.

"Are you kidding me? Why would Beastmen willingly become soldiers for humans?" Shen Mqing shot them a look of utter contempt.

In his eyes, his people were sacred and inviolable. Take him, for example... he would rather die than be controlled by others.

"The ones organizing the army aren’t government officials. It’s a private army," one of the Mutated Bat Wings said truthfully after a long silence.

"And we’ve all been injected with a drug. We have to get an injection every three days, or we’ll go berserk."

"When a Beastman goes berserk, they lose control and attack every living thing around them..."

He had personally witnessed a Mutant Beastman from his batch go berserk after refusing a mission. They would become violent, cruel, and lose their minds... until all signs of life vanished.

The Little Fox, who was lounging lazily on the sofa with his legs crossed, slowly lifted his eyelids upon hearing this.

His tone was devoid of emotion. "Interesting. First, they get you under their control, and once you’ve lost your value, they just stop the injections... Not only does that create chaos, but it also leaves no one left to testify."

The Mutated Bat Wing had only found the matter strange before, but after hearing the Little Fox’s analysis, his already unsightly face twisted into an even more ghastly expression.

It was true. They couldn’t possibly live on injections for the rest of their lives...

If they ever managed to return to the Beast World one day, wouldn’t a dead end be all that awaited them? A life with no end in sight like this... it was truly despairing.

"They said if we’re obedient, they’ll give us the antidote... They wouldn’t lie to us, would they?" The Mutated Bat Wing’s voice grew fainter until he couldn’t even convince himself.

"Aren’t you Fuyi? Since when did you start falling for humans’ empty promises on top of sucking blood?" Shen Mqing’s voice dripped with contempt.

Even he could tell that there was a high probability of deception.

"Perhaps there is no antidote at all," Gu Mian stated coldly, shattering their fantasy.

If those people’s ultimate goal was exploitation, then they would only bother paving the road ahead. What happened to them afterward... was their life or death of any importance?

"SOB... No, I still have to find a wife... I want to go back to the Beast World!" His shriveled face became even more horrifying with tears. The Mutated Bat Wing was a mess of snot and tears, and his hoarse sobs gave everyone a headache.

"I want to go back too, but my mom is still in their hands... SOB... Don’t cry, when you cry, I want to cry too..."

The two Mutated Bat Wings broke down and hugged each other, seemingly competing to see who could cry louder.

"Can you two please be quiet..." Wen Qian raised her hands to cover her ears.

"SOB SOB SOB..."

"Hey! What’s there for grown men to cry about!" Shen Mqing snapped, growing irritated.

"WAAAAAAIL!!!"

"Anyone who keeps crying will be sent back with Shen Mqing," Gu Mian said with a frown.

Shen Mqing pointed at himself. "Why would they possibly listen if you say that...?"

Before he could finish, he suddenly realized an eerie silence had fallen. The wailing Mutated Bat Wings were now extremely docile, their lips pressed tightly together, not making another sound.

’Seriously? Who was he supposed to complain to about this?’

"Let me summarize. To stay alive, you need an injection every three days, and you also need to drink blood?" Wen Qian raised her hand.

Seeing the Mutated Bat Wings nod, she continued, "The injections are beyond your control, but drinking blood... that doesn’t seem so hard, does it? For example, pig’s blood, chicken blood, duck blood... blood tofu. There’s no need to attack people at all."

The two Mutated Bat Wings glanced at each other and said in unison, "It was a mission. Besides, that pig’s blood stuff tastes awful..."

"You’re being picky now?" Wen Qian was shocked.

’So much for being forced into it,’ she thought. ’It was just an excuse to shift the blame. I believe they’re being controlled, but as for how much of their story is genuine hardship... that’s anyone’s guess.’

"When your strength allows for it... who wouldn’t want to eat something better," one of the Mutated Bat Wings muttered.

"Then by the law of survival of the fittest, you deserve to be threatened," Wen Qian said with a smile.

"You..."

The Mutated Bat Wing suddenly felt that, aside from Shen Mqing, this female was also quite annoying.

"Leave the two of them to me," Gu Mian said.

Wen Qian was startled for a moment, then immediately understood what he meant. Among their group, Gu Mian was the most suitable person to take the Mutated Bat Wings.

He had personally undergone experiments, had his own laboratory at University A, and had never stopped his "Beastman research" for all these years... Perhaps he already knew something about C1, or had some other information.

"I can help too," said Chi Heng, who had been silent until now.

He was also a Mutant Beastman, but his features were less pronounced than those of the Mutated Bat Wings.

Gu Mian nodded, then asked again, "Describe the laboratory you mentioned to him. It would be best if you could draw a map."

’He needed to confirm one thing: whether the C1 experiment they spoke of was the same one Chi Heng had gone through.’

The Mutated Bat Wings were left in the warehouse. After the others left, to ensure they wouldn’t be affected by their need for blood, Yin Zhi had Ling Xuan send them some pig’s blood.

Although the two Fuyi were disgusted by it, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and consume it to complete the task Gu Mian had given them.

On her way out, Wen Qian once again cast a curious glance at the Xuan Beast standing guard.

It stood silhouetted against the light, its large, fluffy tail hanging obediently behind it. The way it swept back and forth was very similar to Yin Zhi in his beast form.

"It’s actually kind of cute..." Wen Qian couldn’t help but take a few extra glances.

Hearing the human female’s voice, the Xuan Beast turned its head curiously. It slowly lowered itself, bringing its nose close to Wen Qian as if trying to get a better look at her.

"You’re calling such a formidable mount cute?!" Shen Mqing’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The Xuan Beast glanced sideways at him, then casually flicked its tail, sweeping Shen Mqing aside.

It continued to stare at Wen Qian without blinking, its dark, round eyes wide.

"Was it this big when it first came here?" Wen Qian asked.

’A creature this huge would be hard not to notice, right?’

"It was just a cub when it crossed over..." Yin Zhi raised a hand and stroked its face a couple of times. Then he said softly, "Its father was my mount."

When I found it, it was barely half a meter tall and was almost captured and sold.

Xuan Beasts grow very quickly in their early stages, so Yin Zhi had no choice but to hide it here. It worked out well, though. Its large size also helps him keep an eye on some of the more unruly Beastmen.